Mapping of Land Subsidence Vulnerability - A Case Study at the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality of Ghana

E. A. A. Kwesi, K. N. Asamoah, B. T. Akuinor

Abstract


Land subsidence is a serious geo-environmental event that can occur in mining areas and cause disastrous consequences. To minimize its occurrence and negative impacts on humans and the environment, appropriate preventive and mitigation measures must be put in place and these require knowledge and understanding of the risk factors involved and the vulnerable areas within a given geographical region.   This paper discusses the combined use of the ‘DRASTIC’ ground vulnerability modelling technique, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), Geographic Information System (GIS), GPS and Remote Sensing to collect, process, analyse and evaluate the relative and combined influences of the risk factors involved and to map the susceptible areas of land subsidence in the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality (PHMA) of Ghana. The relevant risk factors identified in the study area include high rainfall, drainage density, elevation and slope, soil, land use/land cover (LULC), depth to ground water, proximity to mine sites, geology and hydrogeology. The relative influence of each of the factors were estimated and combined to generate land subsidence vulnerability maps for the study area with five different classes, namely very low, low, moderate, high and very high vulnerability zones. The vulnerability map indicates that a significant proportion (about 16%) of PHMA lies within high vulnerability zones and these occur mainly in the central, north-western, southern and south-western parts of the area. The results of the current studies may be used as preliminary references or criteria to check the suitability of proposed land uses or development projects in terms of subsidence risk in the study area. It is recommended that land subsidence vulnerability analysis should be integrated in existing land use and resource development planning and approval processes in PHMA and similar mining areas as discussed and demonstrated in the study.

 

Keywords: Land Subsidence, Vulnerability Mapping, Mining Areas, Land Use/Development Planning


Keywords


Land Subsidence; Vulnerability Mapping; Mining Areas; Land Use/Development Planning

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References


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